Vacuum cleaner brush guard and adjusting roll assembly



April 18, 1933- l... w. RICHARDSON ET AL 1,903,793

VACUUM CLEANER BRU SH GUARD AND ADJUSTING ROLL ASSEMBLY Filed June 8, "1931.

Patented Apr. 18, 1 933 a LEON W. RICHARDSON ALLEN D. WASSALL, OI

smn'oas 'ro swanmm-vao couramr, POBATION or mssacrwsm'rs vacuum cnmaa BRUSH cum .anmsrme non. LY

Application fled June 8,

the osition of the nozzle with relation to the sur ace being cleaned, and to provide a brush guard which is rmanently attached to the cleaner, althoug readily movable from 1ts position with relation to'the nozzle opening.

Heretofore brush guards have been se arately removable from the cleaner, to glve access to the inside of the suction nozzle and.

brush, with the resultant possibility of becoming misplace'd or lost.- The present 1n- .ventionprovides a brush guard which is pivotally mountedadjacent the nozzle, with the ortlon remote from its pivotal support reeasably engaging a portlonof said nozzle, so as to be readil removable from operative position across t e nozzle opening, without vention will be apparent from the following.

detailed description, taken in connection 1 with the accompanying drawing, in which p of Flg. 1.-

along the1line 5-5 of Fig. direction of thearrows.

Fi 1 is a front elevational view of a va'cuum c eane'r nozzle.

Fig. 2 1s abottomplan view of ,the nozzle Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional-viewflon an enlarged scale alon'gthe line 33' of Fig. 2,.

looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is an end' levational view ofthe nozzle of Fig. '1.

Fig. 5--is a fragmentary sectional view 2, looking in-the Like reference'i characters refer to like Referringto thedrawing, the nozzle ture'l of the vacuum cleaner provides a sub stantially rectangular. suction opening 2, within whicharotatmgbrush 3 is. mounted,

strucvid ed with arms 20, turnable with the shaft,

wonons'rm mssacnu'sms, as-

OI' .WOBCESTER, HASSAGHUSETTS," A; COR- 1931. Serial so. 548,870.

and rectangular end openings'4 for the recel'ption of adjusting wheels or rolls 5 by w 1ch the position of the suction opening 2 relative to the floor may be varied. The

end openings .4 extend rearwardly beyond the back wall 6 of the suction opening 2 and the inner side wall 7 of each end 0 ening 4 beyond the wall 6 is recessed at 8, i 3, to re.- ceive bearing members 10 in whic a rod or shaft 11 is rotatabl mounted. The shaft 11 extends substantia ly parallel to and adjacent the wall 6 with the ends thereof extending through the bearings 10 into the end openings 4, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

Brush guards 12 are pivotall mounted on said shaft 11 to prevent ob'ects ing cleaned from beingdrawn into t e nozzle, and as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, each brush guard 12 comprises a substantially U-shaped member having the free ends 13 of its arms bent about the shaft '11 and seatedin ooves14 provided on the shaft, whereby sli ing movement of the guards along the shaft is prevented. In the normal osition of the guards 12, the arms are a apted to extend transversely of the opening 2, with offset portions1'5 of their bases received in recesses 6.provided in the forward wall 17 of the nozdzle opening 2, in order to yieldably clamp sa1 are preferably formed in both walls 6 and 17 of the suction opening for reception of the arms of the brush guards 12, so that the guards 12 will be flush with theplane of the suction opening, to permit the nozzle to approach more closely to the surface being cleaned. When access tothe interior of the guards in place. Transverse slots 18 brush guards .12 .may be readily sprung out of engagement with the recesses 16 .and then swung. about .the shaft 11 to completely expose theopenin'g 2, without necessltating the guards from said T the shaft 11, which extend r.

complete removal of the nozzle. The ends of into the rectangular end openings 4., are proa and each arm 20 carries at itsfree end one of the rotatably mounted wheels 5 which en- I gage the floor surface over which the nozzle is moved, and hold said nozzle in desired rethe other end extends upwardly through an opening 23 in a lug 24 mounted above the shaft offset on the rear wall of the nozzle 1. An adjusting nut 25 is provided on the end ,of the threaded rod 22, and a spring 26 surrounding the rod 22 between the under surface of the lug 24 and the offset 21 holds the nut 25 in engagement with the upper surface of In 24. It will be seen that adjustment of t e nut 25 on the rod 22 procures a turning movement of the shaft 11 and accordingly swings the arms 20 with the wheels 5-mounted thereon for raising or lowering the nozzle. Engagement of the nut 25 with the upper surface of the lug 24 holds the wheels positively in position against movement inwardly of the opening, although ermitting said wheels to be swung outwardy, as for cleaning their axles, without disturbing the adjustment of the nut 25.

The bearing construction previously referred to permits the shaft with the arms and wheels attached thereto, as well as the brush guards 12, to be attached to the cleaner, as a unit. As shown in Fig.3, the recesses 8 are wide enough to freely receive the shaft 11, and the U-shaped bearing members 10 are, inserted in the recesses around the shaft 11 to maintain said shaft 11 in position. Each bearing member 10 is held by a set screw 27 passing through the lateral wall 7 and seatlng in a depression 100 in one of the legs of the member 10. This construction permits the brush guard and roll shaft assembly to be formed as a unit, separate from the cleaner, and subsequently attached thereto by a simple operation.

We claim,

1. The combination of a suction nozzle providing a suction opening with end openings wider thanv said suction opening, walls between the suction opening and the end openings, recesses provided in said walls outside the area of said suction opening for the reception of bearings, a rod rotatably mount ed in said bearings adjacent one longitudinal edge of said suction opening and externally thereof, arms rigidly mounted on said rod adjacent opposite ends thereof, wheels rotatably mounted on the ends. of said arms within said end openings, said rod having an offset formed thereon, a screw pivotally connected to said offset, a nut. engagingsaid screw, and a lug formed on said nozzle and engageable. by said nut to hold said rod v against rotation and limit movement of said wheels in said end openings.

2. The combination of a suction nozzle providing a suction opening with end openings wider than said suction opening, walls between the suction opening and the end openings, recesses provided in said walls outside the area of saidsuction opening for the reception of bearings, a rod rotatably mount-' lug to positively hold said rod against rota-- tion in one direction and to resiliently maintain said rod against rotation in the opposite direction.

3. An adjusting roll assembly for attachment to a vacuum cleaner nozzle, comprising a rod having an offset formed thereon, a plurality of circular grooves on said rod, substantially U-shaped wire members havin the ends of their arms encirclin said r and engaging in said rooves or pivotal movement about said ro arms permanently attached to opposite ends of said rod and substantially at right angles thereto, wheels pivotally mounted on the ends of said arms, a threaded rod pivotally mounted on the ofiset on said rod, and a nut on said threaded rod and engageable with a lug on the nozzle, said nut belng turnable on said threaded rod to provide for angular adjustment of the rod to which the above-mentioned arms are permanently attached.

4. In a vacuum cleaner construction, the combination with a suction nozzle providing an elongated suction opening with end openings wider than said suction opening, walls between the suction opening and the end openings and recesses in said walls outside the area of said suction opening, of a rod rotatably mounted in said recesses and ex-' 

